Saline replacing silicone gel.

With silicone gel-filled implants restricted by the Food and Drug Administration, physicians are searching for a device to bridge the gap created by the continued demand for implants and the lack of availability, Although saline implants have taken the back seat in breast implantation, a new procedure advanced by Richard Mladick. Virginia Beach (Va.) General Hospital and The Center for Cosmetic Plastic Surgery, takes care of many of saline's adverse effects and may give hope to women who want fuller, more attractive, as well as natural-looking breasts.

Physicians point out that saline implants tend to rupture more easily and sometimes can "wrinkle" or feel unnatural. Mladick's procedure, combining insertion of saline implants under the breast muscle with a sterile technique that significantly reduces the risk of tissue contracture and infection, resolves those complications.

With below-muscle implantation, the breasts look better, especially for women with small frames; incidents of sagging are fewer; tissue hardening around the imp ant occurs less than over the...